Pooka Don't Laugh?
by writlarge
Summary: Aster genuinely doesn't get most humour. (The Winter Burrow Series #3)


I think the other Guardians know about the Winter Burrow, but I'm not sure as our meeting was postponed when Sandy had begged off. Apparently, Pitch had unbalanced a lot in his short time wielding the Nightmare sand. Aster said he'd done something similar before, but he hadn't been able to infect Sandy then. There's a lot of Guardian history I need to catch up on.

I've been officially living in my Winter Burrow for two weeks now. Aster's already fixed a sign by the tunnel entrance and we've relocated the compost heap. A few fairly sturdy and frost resistant pieces of furniture have found their way into my place and when I got back from my last flight it seemed suspiciously larger. There's still no kitchen, but it hardly matters. I don't need to eat much and when I do it's almost always with Aster. I'm there almost as often as I am the winter burrow. Maybe more, but I try not to impose.

Tonight he's made some kind of small sandwiches and a cold green bean salad with a biting vinaigrette. It doesn't take long to polish off. Afterwards, we go outside to walk and the after-dinner conversation takes a strange turn.

"I just have theories and… ok, don't laugh, all right?"

"Not a problem," he huffs his typical not-quite-a-laugh, distracting me from my original question.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Who doesn't like a laugh?

"Laughing isn't something Pookas generally do," Bunny shrugged. "I've been workin' on it, but I'm not likely to break into spontaneous chuckles anytime soon."

"I've totally heard you laugh." I have, haven't I? "What's a Pooka?"

The small smile on his face is a little sad, "That'd be me."

Aster doesn't go into much detail about the Pooka race, but it's enough for me to know that he's the last and it's all Pitch's fault. He tells me about space travel and the Golden Age, Easter Island, living alone for thousands of years and trying to give humanity a push in the right direction now and then. Aster is almost unfathomably old. It's a lot to take in.

"You really are an alien. That explains _so_ much."

"Okay, ya galah." Bunny points at me in mock anger. "How much of my stuff have you been into?"

I tell him about my exploring and trying to read the books in the library. I also confess to going through his clothes and following him on trips. We get into a hilarious argument over New Zealand and he ends up threatening to drag me somewhere called "Tikitere" to make a point. It's good, comfortable.

"Wait. You're an alien, right? From another planet like thousands of years ago?" Aster nods. "How the hell did you end up Australian then?"

"Ah, well." He looks a bit sheepish. "After I befriended the others, they were all so… emotional, yeah? I'd been alone for a very long time and my duties required a very strict sort of logical discipline. Anyway, I found I liked the company more than I thought I would. Got tired of being the odd duck. So I let go a bit of being the responsible one, the logical one, and stopped clinging to being a proper Pooka. It meant giving up some things, but I think it was worth it in the end. Easter helped. I was always one for eggs and making chocolate, nothing made me happier than seeing someone's face light up over a perfectly crafted treat. So I got mixed up in the holiday and it all built from there. Becoming a "Guardian" proper cemented the magic and anchored me to humanity and Earth more than I imagined possible."

"Oschter Haws." The words slip out softly, but Aster's ears twitch curiously. I cough. "We used to make nests for Oschter Haws to lay eggs in on Easter Sunday. It was a German thing my mother taught us."

Aster nods, "Part of the origin of the holiday. Though I can't say as I've ever laid any eggs, myself." There's an image I didn't need. Bunny may not be one for giggles, but he's smirking at me now.

"As for being an Aussie? I tried being more like the other Guardians, but had a hard time gettin' it right."

"You were embarrassed?" I'm not teasing him. He shrugs in agreement. We reach halfway between his burrow and mine, stopping on a sloping hill covered in clover. We sit and Aster drops a bag of candied ginger between us before he continues.

"I decided to make a closer observation of humans. I chose Australia because it was my favourite place and far enough from where the others lived to give me a little privacy to blunder about. The strine came along with that and as a bonus, I discovered the dangerous versatility of the boomerang." Spinning one of his ever-present 'rangs, he grins and I laugh. I can't picture him without the boomerangs at all.

"So you're more human, except that humour and jokes and laugher and just about everything I do is makes about as much sense to you as saunas and tanning beds do to me?"

"That's about the shape of things. Joy I understand, but fun?" He makes a face then which I think means he's got fun pretty strongly linked to carelessness, recklessness and enjoying yourself at others' expense. Bunny needs to get out more.

"Been working on it this past century and a half or so. It's better, though sometimes it feels like I'm going through the motions more than really feeling it. Getting out the occasional laugh or chuckle puts people at ease. Humans make more sense than they used to though. Ombric and I got on, but when I first met North he was all flashing swords and a ridiculous amount of bravado. No sense of self-preservation at all. The amount of chocolate I had to eat in those days-"

Oh! The chocolate. I need to know about the chocolate.

"I've been _dying_ to ask about that. You make all this amazing stuff and never eat any! How can you stand it?" Bunny rolls his eyes, starting to explain what chocolate can do to a Pooka before he abruptly stops.

"You know what, I'll just show ya. Not now, but sometime. See what you think of this old Kangaroo then, eh?" Aster actually looks mischievous, which sends my curiosity meter through the roof. It sounds fun. An idea starts to form slowly.

"Cool. So, maybe I can help you then?" My offer gets me a raised eyebrow in return. "Well, I am the Guardian of _Fun_. There's nothing I do better. I could help you with it, with pranks and things, show you the positive side of it."

Bunny looks dubious.

"C'mon. It'll be great. We can surprise the hell out of the others." There's that mischievous glint again. I can definitely get used to seeing that. I nudge him with my shoulder. "We can start even start with North."

"All right. We'll give it a go," he smiles softly. Yay! I nod eagerly, already brimming with plans. There's still plenty of time before Christmas if we're starting with North. I knew that would get him on board. He must have changed a lot if he used to be more of a Vulcan Rabbit. I wonder when he stopped wearing… hmmm. Something else occurs to me then. It takes me a moment to keep a straight face.

"Is there a rule that I have to wear clothes in the Warren?" It's so hard not to grin, especially when he's suddenly ramrod straight in shock.

"Of course ya need clothes!" Aster sputters.

"Are you sure?" I widen my eyes innocently. "It's always an even temperature here and you walk around nude. Not that clothes don't have their uses, I bet you can rock that gorgeous green jacket you've got, but you don't wear much at all anymore do you?"

Aster is completely gobsmacked. Ha!

"Well, I- That's… different." I swear he's blushing. I need to hit North up for a camera.

"It's really not." I sigh and grab the bottom edge of my hoodie. "Besides, it may be perfect for you here, but it's a bit warm for me."

Bunny makes a choking sound and grabs my wrist. His stunned expression stutters and clears when I can't hold my poker face anymore and start to giggle.

"You Bastard." He shoves me over on the grass. "Yer takin' the piss, aren't ya?"

"Sorry." I laugh hard into the grass and look up at him with watery eyes. "It's just too easy, Cottontail."

"Ha." Aster smiles and makes that little huffed not-a-laugh sound.

Yeah. We'll work on that.


End file.
